Many pleasure craft are subject to sinking if the hull is breached to allow water to enter. Some small boats, such as canoes, folding boats or dinghys can be made non-sinkable by the installation of sufficient buoyant chambers or buoyant foam to keep the boat afloat though filled with water or capsized.
However, moderate size boats used in offshore cruising, either sail boats or power boats, do not have sufficient inboard space for the quantity of buoyancy material required to keep them afloat.
One system for emergency use lies in collapsible chambers which overlie the sole (floor) and side bunks of a cabin cruiser and serve essentially as carpet or pads until inflated to fill the cabin and provide emergency buoyancy. This system is objectionable in that it inhibits access to underbunk storage and to the bilge chambers. It has the advantage of in situ utilization but is subject to accidental inflation which can endanger occupants.
The present invention is intended to provide an emergency float system for cabin cruisers, sail boats and other pleasure craft of moderate size without built-in flotation. It is also an object to provide a system and apparatus which is useful to allow salvage of a damaged boat but also to provide sufficient lift to escape grounding. The versatility of the system offers such uses as:
(1) Escape from simple grounding common in shallow cruising grounds exemplified by that in the Bahamas, Chesapeake Bay, tidal zones, intercoastal waterways, the Gulf Coast and Florida; PA1 (2) Groundings complicated by major hull breaches where freeing the craft would result in sinking; PA1 (3) Major hull breaches in open sea due to the striking of a submerged log, whale or other obstruction or after demasting, etc.;
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and relatively inexpensive system and apparatus which can be readily stored in available space on board, and which can be quickly installed in the location appropriate to the particular emergency.
A further object of the invention lies in spaced reinforcing and protective battens on the inflatable containers and an envelope of scuff resistant material to minimize abrasion on the containers. A still further object is the provision of a pressure control valve available at deck level for deflation in the event of undue expansion of contained gas or for intentional deflation. Another object lies in the deployment of the device with proper guide lines and weight location to assist in proper positioning.
Other objects and features will be apparent in the following description and claims in which the invention is described and details provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the invention, all in connection with the best mode presently contemplated for the invention.